Thornton Hall, Kilsallaghan, North County Dublin on surrounding property values and infrastructure.

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1 An examination of the extent of the impact of the proposed siting of a prison at Thornton Hall, Kilsallaghan, North County Dublin on surrounding property values and infrastructure. By Richelle Hogan BSc (Hons), MIAVI Richelle Hogan was the recipient of the Anthony O Neill Memorial Award for the best student in the IAVI/DIT BSc (Hons) Property Studies course. Her dissertation looks at the interesting question of the impact of the proposed prison in Kilsallaghan on the area. Introduction The dissertation examined the extent of impact of the proposed new prison at Thornton Hall, Kilsallaghan, on surrounding property values and infrastructure. Research on the effect of a prison on property values has been varied and conflicting. Research Methods In carrying out the research the use of questionnaires and interviews were used. In-depth interviews were conducted with selected target groups from the surrounding localities of Kilsallaghan, Rolestown, St. Margarets, Garristown, Oldtown, Ashbourne, Ratoath and Swords due to their proximity to Thornton Hall site. Interviews were to be conducted with Local and State Authorities. The Authorities declined to be interviewed for the purpose of this dissertation. Property Values Research that examines the impact of prisons on local property values has shown that the effects can be negative, positive, both or not at all. The difficulty with previous studies is to decipher whether the findings are based on the actual impact of the siting or whether there were other contributory factors. Some research on this topic has been invalidated due to inaccurate measurements of property values. Infrastructure In examining the research on prison sitings there were no specific studies uncovered which studied the impact of a prison facility on local infrastructure. The main body of evidence comes from American research. In America the process of siting a prison varies to that in Ireland. Rural communities in America can tender to host the siting of a new prison facility. Studies have shown that this impetus to host a prison facility is based on projected future economic benefits to that community. A community tendering for a prison must have the appropriate infrastructure in place to the required standard before the project is awarded to that community. Conclusions from Present Research Overall the conclusions are that the siting of public facilities can be complex and contentious and that prisons are among the facilities that can be regarded as an unwanted land use and are often equated to landfills and incinerators as Lulu s (locally unwanted land uses). The reasons against the siting of a prison can be varied and many but the predominant objections to prison facilities are based on issues of The location or proximity of the facility to the local community The potential impact the facility may have on the local community in terms of the local economy, public safety, crime levels, employment, environment (Bureau of Justice Statistics 2005) The impact of prison sitings can be both positive and negative but the majority of the research uncovered the negative effects. The difficulty with existing research on property values is the measurement and control of such studies. Research methods used are open to scrutiny. Inaccurate measurements can obscure the findings and consequently alter the effects a prison may have accordingly. Opposition to the siting of Prison Facilities Opposition to prison facilities has always been a contentious issue. The attitudes and perceptions of a host community of a prison can determine whether the siting takes place or not. The potential impact of a prison on a community can be nominal or extensive, positive or negative. It can impact on many facets of its host community and can affect the dynamics of the community, the environment, local infrastructure and property values. The impact of a prison facility on property values and infrastructure, in particular, is a complex issue and can be particularly controversial and complicated. Siting prison facilities has continuously drawn the attention of various interest groups, communities and individuals. Prison facilities have been perceived as one of the most undesirable land uses (Takahashi and Gaber, 1998). The demand for siting prison facilities has grown in response to the growing prison population. However, as the demand for prisons increase opposition to them has also increased. 22

2 Autumn 2007 Host communities can develop concerns that a prison facility could impact on property values, threaten public safety, endanger the environment, drain infrastructure resources or increase crime levels. The fear of increased crime levels and the deterioration of public safety generate NIMBYISM (Sechrest, 1992; Shichor, 1992). Research has shown that 80% of prison sitings will be met with resistance by the host community (Silas, 1984). The Development of a New Prison The Irish Government is in the process of replacing the existing services at Mountjoy Prison with a new prison. The Government purchased a 150 acre farm, Thornton Hall, Kilsallaghan in North County Dublin, on the 26 th of January 2005 for the purpose of building a new state of the art prison facility. The site at Thornton Hall is located on the R130 within circa 2.5 km of the N2 Dublin to Derry Road. The Government s intention is to relocate Mountjoy Prison Services to a new purpose built facility at Thornton Hall. The project is due to be completed in 2010 and will be built as part of a public private partnership. The project is expected to create employment in the region of 1,000 prison officers and staff. The cost of the development is expected to be in the region of 200 million. The cost saving per prisoner as estimated by The Irish Prison Services will be in the region of 30,000 per prisoner. The initial site was to be circa. 100 acres, the purchase of the 150 acres site will allow the Prison Service the option of expansion in the future. The relocation of the Central Mental Hospital from Dundrum to Thornton Hall is under review. The plan is set out in principle but is under discussion at this point in time. Location Map of the site at Thornton Hall Thornton Hall was a working farm situated in a predominately local farming community. The townland of Kilsallaghan is a rural area, which comprises of a primary school, an Equestrian School, and various residential dwellings. Thornton Hall House The proposed development at Thornton Hall will comprise of a state of the art prison facility and the establishment of a Central Mental Hospital. The prison is planned to house approximately 1,200 persons. The new prison will include a new male prison, a female prison and the entire complex will comprise of a court house, medical centre, educational centres and therapeutic centres, administrative offices, warehouse and storage facilities. More recently, the Garda Commissioner has confirmed that a Garda Station will be established on the perimeter of the site (Irish Prison Service Handout, 2006). Criteria for siting Prisons in Ireland Each country has its own legal and judicial system for dealing with crime and justice. The development of prisons is an integral part of these systems. The structure of prisons varies from country to country but the nature of prisons remains similar in that they are constructed to incarcerate and reform criminals. The criteria for siting prisons are not fixed and vary from country to country, depending on the demands of the prison population, the host community and the location. In Ireland, the Office of Public works is responsible for the construction and maintenance of all Irish Prisons and there are specific statutory requirements that the Office of Public Works and the Irish Prison Service must operate within. Unlike other builds there are certain criteria which do not have to be adhered to in the case of the Thornton Hall development. Prisons are exempt from the normal process of obtaining planning permission. The development at Thornton Hall is an exempted development under the Planning & Development Act 2000, Section 4 and the Planning & Development Regulations 2001, Section 2. Standard planning permission is not required to proceed with the development. In relation to the environmental aspect of the build, the Thornton Hall development is exempt from having an Environmental Impact Assessment carried out. 23

3 Access to detailed plans for the siting and building of a prison are not made available to the public for security reasons. Several surveys and excavations were conducted on the site to determine if the site was of archaeological interest and findings have indicated that there is nothing of archaeological significance on the site. The aim of the question was to determine whether the proposal of a prison would impact on surrounding property values. 83% indicated that the proposal would impact on property values while 17% of respondents said that it would not impact on local property values. Selection of Thornton Hall Site Approximately 31 sites were put forward for selection for the new prison siting. None of the 31 sites put forward for selection were offered at agricultural prices. Thornton Hall was selected by the committee based on the following factors:- It is a 150 acre site Its location is circa. 17 km. from Dublin City Centre It is not situated near a populated area such as a village, town etc. It is located just off the main N2 Dublin to Belfast Road which means it can provide easy access to Emergency Services and the Gardai It has a separate access point It has access to the M50 and national roadways Current Market Conditions Locally In the immediate vicinity, within circa 1 km of the proposed siting of the new prison, there has been no evidence of property being placed on the open market. In the greater area of a radius of circa 10 km, property placed on the open market has sold at the advised minimum value (AMV) or above. Despite the overall slowdown in the property market, demand for properties within commuting distance of Dublin City and Airport is still strong. If respondents had answered yes that the siting of a prison would impact on surrounding property values, question 13b set out to determine to what extent the impact would be. 58% responded that the values of property would decrease by 1% to 5%, 17% said that property values would increase by up to 5% and 17% said that the surrounding property values would remain the same. Current Infrastructure at Thornton Hall The road to Thornton Hall is a rural country road with no public footpath. At Thornton Hall there is currently a limited bus service. The nearest bus stop to Thornton Hall is located on the N2 approximately 2.5km from the entrance to the site. The service is the 105 or 103 bus route to Dublin City Centre. A bus service and taxi service are the modes of public transport available at present. There are no other forms of public transport available in the area of Thornton Hall. A site evaluation was carried out on the site and it found that the exiting road is adequate but recommendations have been made that the road will need improving and up grading in order to facilitate future traffic needs. Dissertation Research Structured Interviews were carried out with Local Auctioneers and Estate Agents. The aim of which was to examine the extent of the impact of the proposed new prison has on local property values specifically. The questionnaire was comprised of various questions but those related to property specifically are shown below. The aim of this question was to determine if surrounding private housing values would be affected by the proximity of the new prison. 83% of respondents indicated that the values of private housing in proximity of the new prison would be affected while 17% said that the proximity of the prison would not affect the value of private housing values. 24

4 Autumn 2007 Respondents were equally divided on the issues of whether the site is the correct location for the proposed prison. 50% said it was the best location and 50% disagreed and said it was not the correct location for a prison. The property professionals were then asked if the purchase price paid for the site was the open market price value, over priced or under priced. 75% of the respondents said that in their professional capacity, the price paid for the 150 acre site at Thornton Hall was over priced. The overall findings of the survey revealed that Property Professionals considered that towns within easy commuting distance (Ashbourne, Ratoath, Blanchardstown, Swords) from the prison will benefit from the prison in that there should be greater demand for housing from people who are working in the prison and wish to move closer to their place of work. The aim of this question was to establish if there has been any affect on property sales currently due to the proposal of the prison at Thornton Hall. 75% of respondents indicated that property sales were not affected by the proposed prison and 25% said that sales were affected by the proposal. 83% of those interviewed indicated that the value of private residential housing in proximity to the prison would be affected by the new prison siting. 17% of respondents stated that the proximity of the proposed prison to private residential housing would have no impact on their value. The extent of this impact on value was examined and 58% responded that the values of property would decrease by 1% to 5%, 17% said that property values would increase by up to 5% and 17% said that the surrounding property values would remain the same. One aim of the study was to establish if property sales currently had been affected by the proposal of the prison. 75% of respondents indicated that property sales were not affected by the proposal and 25% said that sales were affected by the proposal. Respondents indicated that the affect on sales was in the region of a 1% decrease. The areas within the property sector considered most likely to be affected by the proposal were residential sales and the second area was land sales. It was not perceived that any of the other areas within the property market would be significantly affected by the siting. The aim of this question was to determine what areas within the property market would be affected by the siting of the prison. 67% of respondents indicated that residential sales may be affected by the siting proposal and 33% said that land sales may be affected by the siting. In the areas of residential lettings, commercial sales and lettings, office sales and lettings, retail sales and lettings respondents did not perceive that the siting may have any affect on these sectors. A Summary of Findings In conducting interviews with Auctioneers and Estate Agents, 66% of the respondents indicated that they remained neutral about the siting, 17% indicated that they are opposed to the siting and 17% said they supported the siting. In terms of the local infrastructure, 83% indicated that current infrastructure could not support the siting of the prison due to numerous factors which included lack of public transport facilities, lack of adequate water services, lack of sewage facilities and current inadequate road structure. 17% were of the view that current infrastructure could support a prison facility. 50% of those interviewed said local infrastructure would improve, 25% said it would deteriorate. Of the property professionals that were interviewed, the main area of concern was considered to be the impact of the siting on the community with 17% of respondents stating this. There were equal levels of opinions on the impact of the siting on the environment, public safety, property values and supply of public services. 25

5 Members of the community were asked if the proposal would impact on property values. 87% of those that responded said that the proposal would impact on property values while 13% said that it would not. In answer to the extent of the impact, if any, 53% said that local property value will decrease, 32% said they would increase and 15% considered that local property values would stay the same. 62% indicated that the value of private housing would be affected by the proximity of the proposed prison while 38% said that private residential housing would not be affected. Overall, 53% of the community members questioned said that the prison will negatively affect the community. 15% indicated that the proposed prison will impact positively on the community and 23% said that there will be no impact on the community at all. The negative impacts were expressed in terms of public safety, crime levels and property values. The positive impacts were cited to be employment opportunities, growth of business, increase in demand for housing and the development of infrastructure. Findings Overall the findings indicated that local property values are affected by the proposal. However the affect is considered to be both positive and negative. The positive affect is that property prices in the long term will increase as the demand for housing is driven by new employees of the prison wanting to live in the area. The negative affect is in the short term when the proposal is at the planning stage. Property professionals were of the opinion that the decrease in property values would be experienced now if individuals put their property on the market when the market is experiencing a slowdown. This, in conjunction with the proposed siting would have an impact on the values of their homes. In summary, the proposed prison does impact on property values negatively but the extent of the impact is expected to be short term. The study showed that it was those members of the community living in close proximity to the proposed site that indicated that the values of their housing had decreased as a direct result of the prison siting. The property professionals interviewed agreed with this indicating that values could decrease by as much as 5%. The conclusion derived from the study was that local infrastructure currently could not support a prison. The overall opinion was that if a prison facility was to be sited in any location, the supporting infrastructure would have to be developed to accommodate the needs of the facility and its ancillary activities. Traffic issues such as construction traffic, noise pollution and emissions were the principal concerns with both target groups. Roads were discussed in relation to the security of transportation of prisoners to and from the facility. The study found that this was of major concern to participants who considered the roads to be unsafe for transporting prisoners, stating that the roads could be open to escapes, hi-jacks and hold ups. Overall the concerns with infrastructure were based on road issues and traffic congestion. Conclusions The main conclusions to be drawn from the study are that the siting of a prison at Thornton Hall will impact on property values and infrastructure but this is not the principal issue. The over riding concern is the impact the prison will have on the community. This would support the findings of the majority if studies carried out on this topic to date. While the dissertation examined the affect on property values and infrastructure the study disclosed that the greater concern within the two target groups was the impact on the community and its environs and not on property values in particular. The study revealed that there were other issues that were being affected by the siting. The principal ones being the impact on community and community life, the disruption of traffic congestion, fears of environmental pollution, the threat of increased crime levels and the decrease in public safety. The study showed that the property market has experienced a slowdown in price increases, it was important to present the current conditions in the market place to distinguish if the factors that contributed to the slowdown in property prices are impacting on property values in the Kilsallaghan area. Overall the study showed that property values and infrastructure can be affected by various factors. These factors can mutually support each other; can be interdependent or independent of each other and the siting of a prison is one such factor. Proximity to the prison was a factor in affecting property values, but the timescale of this effect was the important consideration. Recommendations The study would recommend that a nationwide study be commissioned to assess the impact of existing prison facilities on property values, the environment, community and infrastructure. The information from such a study could prove helpful in the whole siting process for the community and the Government. The whole process of the Thornton Hall development should be transparent and open. At present this is not perceived to be the case. The process of selecting and purchasing the land was perceived as ambiguous. The issue of security involved in the development of the prison is of paramount importance but open communication could take place between those involved in the siting process and the community. 26